Giulio d'Este

Giulio d'Este (13 July 1478-24 March 1561) was the illegitimate son of Ercole I d'Este and the half-brother of Alfonso d'Este.

Biography
Giulio d'Este was born in 1478, the product of an affair between Ercole I d'Este and Isabella Arduin, a lady-in-waiting to Ercole's wife. He grew up in the court of the Duchy of Ferrara, and he became rivals with his half-brother Ippolito d'Este concerning the patronage of a musician. Ippolito was a trusted advisor of Duke Alfonso d'Este, leading to Giulio losing. In 1505, he was exiled to Brescello, while his other half-brother, Ferrante d'Este, was exiled to Modena. Lucrezia Borgia and Isabella d'Este convinced Alfonso to pardon the brothers, but, in 1506, they plotted to assassinate Alfonso and Ippolito and make Ferrante the new Duke. They were both captured, and Giulio was imprisoned for 53 years. However, his grandnephew Alphonso II d'Este released Giulio from prison at the age of 81, and he died in 1561.